The "Eyes" Have It

I had an interesting discussion with my boss this week.  We were discussing how to properly negotiate a turn on a motorcycle (don’t ask me why), when he piped up with, “the key is where you’re looking.”  Truer words are rarely spoken.

Of course, as horseback riders, we know the importance of where we look.  If you’ve ever taken a lesson with me you’ve heard it at least three times.  You go where you look.  If you look down, you’re headed over your horse’s ears.  If you look around the corner to your jump, you’ll find a good spot.  If you keep your eyes soft and aware of the other riders around you, you won’t end up body checking your best friend with your 1000 pound equine.  Looking where you want to go when riding is as essential as wearing your helmet.

Never missing an opportunity to talk horses, I explained to my boss that the phenomenon he observed while riding motorcycles, was actually pretty common.  Not only with horses, but skiing, snowboarding, sailing, driving, you get the idea. 

My boss is a wise man.  I should have seen him steering the conversation from the very beginning.  Like a master chess player, he was looking four moves ahead when he started talking about motorcycles.  By starting my brain down the right path, he was able to sit back while I came to the conclusion he intended from the beginning.  The key is where you’re looking, not just in sports, but in all of life.

At work, if we’re always looking at what we can’t do or what we have to do to get by, we never see the possibility of what we’re capable of.  The cannot’s and have to’s cloud the potential horizon.

Lately I’ve been very focused on all the obstacles and not how to overcome them.  I know from jumping that staring down the intimidating fence isn’t going to get me safely over it.  We have to plan our approaches, think and ride positively and keep those eyes focused on the far side.  We can do the same with the obstacles facing us in life.  It isn’t really a Fresh Perspective, just a repurposed one. 

“It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird.  It would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg.  We are like eggs at present.  And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg.  We must be hatched or go bad.”
                                                                                        -          C.S. Lewis

It’s time to break the shell that’s been caging me.  I’ve been riding Nutmeg in the morning to beat the heat and beat the exhaustion I always feel after work.  Admiral has been working in the evenings, since it’s much easier to find the motivation to long line than ride.  Fingers are crossed.  The husband has been making motions toward riding again.  We cleaned the cobwebs out of his helmet last night.  Maybe more than one shell is preparing to crack.